Ethiopia has been designated for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months beginning on December 12, 2022 and extending until June 12, 2024. Only Ethiopians already residing in the United States as of October 20, 2022, who can also demonstrate continuous physical presence since December 12, 2022, will be eligible to register. Eligible applicants will

Portugal is designated an E-1/E-2 treaty country in the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (H.R. 7776/NDAA) passed by Congress on December 15, 2022. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill, providing Portuguese nationals E-1 and E-2 visa eligibility.  

E-1 and E-2 visas are for treaty traders

On January 4, 2023, the U.S. Embassy in Havana will resume immigrant visa processing for immediate relatives, family preference applicants, diversity visa applicants and visas for K fiancées.

Until then, the U.S. Embassy Georgetown in Guyana will continue to process immigrant visa applications for Cubans with appointments scheduled through the end of December 2022.

Consular

The new Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) final rule is in effect – to the extent permitted by court orders.

DACA allows temporary protection from deportation for undocumented immigrants who came to the United States under the age of 16. There are approximately 600,000 immigrants, known as “Dreamers,” who are protected by DACA.

The

The Department of Homeland Security announced that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and employment authorization are automatically extended until June 30, 2024, for beneficiaries from El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua who are subject to the Ramos and Bhattarai TPS litigations. The same extension applies to beneficiaries from Haiti and Sudan who are also subject to

Severe immigration consequences for certain non-U.S. citizens remain despite President Joe Biden’s pardon of all prior federal offenses for simple marijuana possession.

On October 6, 2022, President Biden took a major step toward the decriminalization of marijuana, pardoning all prior federal offenses for simple marijuana possession. Although this pardon will affect only approximately 6,500 individuals

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Burma for an additional 18 months from November 26, 2022, through May 25, 2024, due to the extraordinary and temporary conditions in Burma that prevent individuals from safely returning. This means that approximately 1,000 current beneficiaries will be able to remain in

In March 2022, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced it would be implementing measures to conduct gender-neutral screening by enhancing screening technology, reducing the number of pat-downs needed, streamlining identity validation, updating TSA PreCheck, expanding airline partnerships to enhance the overall travel experience, and improving communications with the traveling public.

So far, TSA has implemented

After years of litigation followed by uncertainty, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has taken the official action of issuing a new final rule that “restores the historical understanding of a ‘public charge’ that had been in place for decades . . . .” The new rule, which goes into effect on December 23, 2022,

President Joe Biden extended Deferral of Enforced Departure (DED) and employment authorization for Liberians from June 30, 2022 until June 30, 2024. On September 6, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published instructions regarding that implementation in the Federal Register.

Those who are eligible for the extension are Liberians who:

  • Are present in the